Game Of Thrones' second-to-last episode is now in the books (or--not actually in the books, you know what we mean) and we've officially entered the home stretch for the series. Before we head into the series finale this Sunday, let's first take a look back at everything that unfolded in Season 8, Episode 5 "The Bells." Check out our video breakdown of what unfolded, predictions for things are headed in Episode 6, and more. Spoilers ahead and in the video above.
Episode 5 featured some tragic losses. The Spider himself, Varys, managed to get himself caught in a web that was anything but his own making--although there may have been more going on than you might have initially picked up on. Specifically, there were some indications that he may have been trying to poison Dany. Meanwhile, Jaime and Cersei Lannister found their own sort of poetic peace with one another (and arguably saw through the Valonqar prophecy). Most importantly, Daenerys lost a big chunk of her sanity.
The latter development in particular, with Dany finally going Mad Queen, has been a controversial one, as some feel it wasn't effectively set up. There had been clues, sure, but some feel the shortened final seasons have not given the show the necessary amount of time to make developments (like Dany's turn) feel legitimate. Regardless, it's clear Game of Thrones is not the show we thought. And the end result is an outcome that's likely worse than what the Mad King (Dany's father, Aerys Targaryen) had intended to do, leading to Jaime killing him.
But hey, Cleganebowl finally happened, as The Hound finally got the revenge against his brother that he had been seeking for most of his life. Sure, it may have ultimately resulted in even more loss but still. That counts for something, right? The episode still managed to toss in a ton of Easter eggs and references, too, and the callbacks weren't necessarily all as obvious as something like Cleganebowl.
Meanwhile, the list of just who, exactly, is still alive and kicking for the series finale continues to dwindle. But even with a rapidly depleting roster, we've got some theories as to just how the last episode will wrap things up. Will Dany end up the Queen of the Ashes after all, or will someone intervene? There's a lot to wrap up in the show's last 80 minutes.
If relentlessly cross-examining body counts and the inevitable mortality of your favorite characters is a little too much for you right now, take a break by going back to the moments that really matter--like every time Ghost has been a very good boy over the years.